Category: Sealants and Fillings Category

A crack in a tooth does more than make you feel self-conscious. Even a small crack can hurt like crazy. These cracks, called “fissures,” are not fun to have. Fortunately, we offer fissures sealants in Houston to repair your teeth without costly repair work. Fissures Sealants in Houston What exactly are fissure sealants? Sealants both help repair and protect teeth from damage. Most of the time, teens get sealants to protect their molars from cavities. The sealants fill the grooves of these rough teeth, making them easier to clean. However, sealants also help fix small cracks in teeth. These small cracks form by sudden trauma, biting something very hard, or even clenching teeth too much. Even a tiny break can be very painful, particularly as the gap expands. When compressed, the gap is closed, as if the tooth were whole. But when your tongue pushes the split apart, or a piece…

Do cavities concern your family? Whether for you or your children, cavities hurt and affect your overall oral health. Fortunately, there are pain-free ways to protect yourself and your family from cavities. In addition to brushing your teeth regularly, dental sealants from your Tanglewood dentist protect teeth for many years. What are Dental Sealants? Dental sealants help protect teeth by smoothing out their surface. In most cases, sealants protect the molars of children, however, they also protect adult teeth. Your Tanglewood dentist applies sealants using a gel-like liquid. The liquid fills in the grooves of molars and damaged teeth. These grooves play host to bacteria. The bacteria cling to the deep sections, avoiding the probing bristles of your toothbrush. Your dentist may clear this out with a deep cleaning, but visiting the dentist just twice per year as recommended reduces the effectiveness of this. The purpose of the sealant is to…

When your children start getting their molars, it’s time to consider kids dental sealants. Dental sealants protect teeth from developing cavities by smoothing out rough surfaces. How exactly does it work? Kids Dental Sealants What are kids dental sealants? The sealant is a gel like substance that fills the grooves of teeth, especially the molars. Molars have rough surfaces to aid in grinding up food for easier digestion. These rough surfaces also play host to bacteria, however. Bacteria gathers in the low spots of the grooves, just out of reach of toothbrushes. Here, it produces plaque (bacterial waste) to further protect itself. Uncleared plaque hardens to form tartar, also called calculus within a couple days. Tartar is much harder to remove. The purpose of dental sealants is to smooth out these rough surfaces and make them easier to clean with a toothbrush. Your Houston kids dentist spreads a bit of…

Have you ever gotten a dental filling? Fillings are among the most common dental treatments in Houston and throughout the country. The Centers for Disease Control reports that 91% of adults in the US have cavities. That means if you don’t have a cavity, chances are very high that you know at least nine people that do. According to the 2011-2012 report by the CDC, adults in the US between the ages of 20 and 64 had cavities. Certain demographics of those adults show increased and decreased prevalence of cavities. Which Demographics May Need a Dental Filling In general, untreated tooth decay causes cavities. But people of certain heritages are more likely to get cavities than others. The CDC found that untreated tooth decay is most common in African Americans at 46% and least common in Asians at 17%. Hispanics are the second highest group at 36% and Caucasians are…

Have your children begun their double-digit years? This is a major milestone for parents as their children are growing up and will soon be young adults. This is also around the time that their molars are coming in. Around this age, they should get kids dentist sealants. What are Kids Dentist Sealants? Sealants are a type of malleable gel that fills in the grooves of teeth, making them smoother. By applying kids dentist sealants when their molars come in, they will be easier to clean. The purpose of molars is to grind food for easier digestion. To accomplish this, they generally have a rough surface. However, this rough surface can hide bacteria that is difficult to clean with a toothbrush. Sealants make these surfaces smoother and easier to clean. If not properly cleaned, bacteria clings to the grooves of molars and build up plaque. If left unchecked, this erodes the enamel protecting the…

Cavities seem to be an ever-present danger to our children. They can form from consuming too much sugar and not exercising enough oral hygiene. However, reducing sugar and increasing oral care are not always enough. Fortunately, dental sealants for kids are one of the best ways to prevent cavities from affecting your child. Dental sealants from your Memorial dentist are a painless application of a compound that protects their teeth from decay. How Dental Sealants for Kids Help Prevent Cavities Dental sealants help fill in gaps, pits, fissures, and grooves in teeth, making them smoother. All of our teeth may get little indentations or grooves at some point, but the molars are the most common. On the top of the molars, which grind food down to a more manageable size, is a rough surface. This rough surface aids in grinding down the food. Unfortunately, this rough surface means there are a…

Dental fillings are one of the best ways to repair a cracked tooth, which could be the result of an accident, chewing hard objects or food, or grinding and clenching your teeth. Dental fillings will repair and strengthen the tooth, so you can get back to eating and drinking normally without any irritation causing you to wince in pain. Cracked Teeth A cracked tooth is usually just a hairline fracture that opens slightly when you close your mouth or bite down on something. These fractures can be so small that not even an x-ray will see them. When your mouth closes or you bite down on something, the pressure causes the crack to widen, and when the pressure is released, it narrows. Either the widening or narrowing can cause a split second sharp pain that causes you to reflexively wince. In some cases, pain may just come and go or…

Sealants and Fillings Healthy teeth are able to protect themselves from bacteria and decay thanks to a protective covering of enamel on the outermost part of the tooth. You restore this protective covering when you brush your teeth and use mouth rinse. Flossing removes particles that could lead to decay if left in one spot for too long. Sometimes, they may need an extra level of protection or some restoration in the form of sealants and fillings, respectively. Sealants Sealing teeth is a preventative measure to protect against decay. Even if teeth are well taken care of can be at risk of decay. The tops of molars have divots and gaps for grinding and tearing food when we chew. These little crevices can be very difficult to clean with a toothbrush and mouth rinse. Bacteria tends to collect in these areas since they are tougher to clean. Sealants fill in the…